Of Elevators and Admissions
by dancergrl1
Summary: When Casey and Dawson get stuck in an elevator, things get confessed. A Dawsey one-shot, my first story for Chicago Fire.


_**A/N: Hello, all of you Chicago Fire fans! This is my first story for Chicago Fire, and I'm excited to hear your feedback. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Fire. If I did, I would be dating Severide...**_

XXX

"Gabby, thanks for coming with me today. Because Heather can't meet with her lawyer, I promised her I would, so that I can make sure the boys stay with me while she's there." I say as I step into the elevator.

"It's no problem, especially because I'm always there helping." She says with a smile. I hit the button and then turn to face her. _God, why can't she be my girl? _I think reverently. She was the one who came to me months ago when I was falling apart after losing Hallie. I can't thank her for finding me when she did.

"Matt," she says suddenly. I realize the elevator isn't moving.

"Matt!" she says again.

"What?" I ask. I wasn't paying attention to what she said.

"We're stuck. It's stopped." She says, her voice tight.

"Dawson. Gabby, Gabby, it'll be fine. We'll just have to make the best of it while we're trapped. Do you have anything to drink?" I asked cordially, trying to lighten the situation. Dawson looks at me, and a smile ghosts on her face before she realizes she's actually smiling.

"I hate elevators. They're so…unreliable." She said, some panic still lacing her voice.

"Gabby, come sit." I said. I didn't need her having a full-blown panic attack right here. Luckily, she came and sat down, and she started to even out her breathing.

"That's it, Gabs, just keep breathing. Nice and slow." I said calmly, trying to keep my own worries at bay. "They'll get us out soon."

"But Matt," she said carefully. "Why hasn't it started back up yet?" She made a good point. It was a big building, the generators should've put us back in motion. I schooled my features and then stated

"Gabby, I'm sure it's fine." I knew the actual reason, but I wasn't telling her. I was thinking that there was a fire somewhere in the building.

"Matt, I know what it could be. It's just-I don't do well in small spaces. Having you here is helping, though." I smiled, because I didn't mind being trapped with her, either.

"Casey, how are _you_ doing?" she asked gently. I knew what she meant, and I chose to ignore it anyways because I didn't really want to face it.

"I'm good. Hoping another house will come get us out, though." I responded with a smile.

"Matt-that's not what I meant, and you knew it. After 2 months, you come back and are acting like you're fine, but sometimes you run into someplace as if you're invincible. I don't see a cape attached to your gear, so stop." She finished, a little snappy. I realized she was right-totally and completely right. I had been a little reckless with the calls. "Matt?" she calls me back softly.

"You're right." I say huskily. "I have been. And I shouldn't have been. It's putting everybody else in danger, and I could be getting someone else killed, like-" and I shut myself off, because the next words had the potential to be damaging.

"Exactly." She says, but she's not proud of herself. She's simply stating that she's right, and she knows me. "Matt, every time I watch you go in, and I wonder if you'll come out. Even if someone's in there with you, I worry about you more. I've tried to convince myself that I'm equally worried, but since…Since Darden, you going in always worries me."

"Gabby…" I say softly, not realizing her feelings. Good to know how she felt reciprocated what I did.

"No, Matt. I really do. It's because, I think, I might like you." She says.

"Gabby…I…I like you too. You're always there for me. I don't know what I would do without you, especially with Heather, and the boys, and…just…everything." I whisper back, trying my best not to break the moment. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, I hear Severide call "Chicago fire department! Is anyone down here?"

"Severide!" I call out.

"Casey?" He calls back.

"And Dawson!" She adds before I can call back a snide remark. "You know me so well." I whisper to her.

"You guys know how to get ourselves out, but I guess I gotta come down…" Severide practically whines.

"Get yourself down here, Severide, before I grab my candidate to get me outta here." I know that this will get his competitive side going.

"Hell no!" he yells down, the laugh evident in his voice.

"It's amazing how well I know him. I knew if I told him I'd get Mills down here he'd get his stupid ass down here instead. Joke's on him." Dawson laughs, and it's an amazing sound. High and clear and…"You guys ready to get out of here?" Hermann laughs, knowing that he interrupted something between the two of us. "Yeah. We were ready before you guys were called. Take her up first, nice and easy." "Geez, who's running this show, you or Severide?" Hermann complains. "Just get her up. And be careful with her! I kinda like her how she is-in one piece." I say with a smile towards my right-hand man. "I'll be back down to you, soon. Stay put." _Where am I gonna go?,_ I think ruefully. At least I knew that Gabby was safe.

"Casey, you still good?" Otis calls down the shaft.

"Yeah, I'm good. What's going on up there?"

"Not much, you're just lucky enough to be stuck!" Severide calls down, too quickly.

"Kelly…" I say to myself, dangerously low.

"Casey!" Hermann calls. He drops the harness in for me, and then drops down next to me. I quickly jump into the harness, knowing that there probably wasn't a lot of time left to get out.

"Hermann, what the hell is going on out there? Have we been trapped in a fire in here?"

"Kelly would kill me for telling you, but yeah, you have. You got lucky, it started low, and this building is not conducive to spread, but it's not great either. As long as we get out of here we're all good." I lock myself into Hermann's carabiner and we zip our way up to the top.

"Let's get outta here!" I say. Gabby stays and helps Shay haul the stretcher out, because apparently we were the only ones left in the building. I help and make sure all my guys are in one piece, because, well, they were my guys.

"Casey!" I hear the gruff voice of my chief, and I smile. That's probably the only time it will be good to hear. "You alright?"

"I am now, Chief. Got an extra set of gear I can use to help?" I ask, knowing that the only thing I have is my jacket, hung inside the truck.

"In the hold, there's a set of pants. Grab 'em, use 'em." Kelly says.

"On it." I respond, turning back into the gruff lieutenant. "Let's get this fire out, guys." I call out.

XXX

We finally get back to the house, and it's a welcome sight to me, and I know it is to Dawson, too. "Dawson!" I yell across the apparatus floor. "Let's go talk in my office?" I half-ask. She nods, and we go. "You were...serious in there...right? Because, well, uh...I like you too. Like, a lot." She smiles, bigger than I've ever seen. "Let's try this, being together. It'll be a trial thing ,and if it works then it works." I grab her hand and pull her into my office.

"Casey, what are you doing?" she says, but smiling so she knows I'm not a complete ass.

"Just thought you should know how it feels, to be whisked off your feet by a striking man. And…I thought you might like some time after that ordeal, especially 'cause the guys are going to give us crap about it." She laughs, again, and t's still as amazing as the first time. "I love that, you know?" I say suddenly.

"What?" Gabby asks, surprised.

"Your laugh, your smile, the way you bite your lip when you're unsure of something." I tell her.

"You're amazing yourself, Mr. Lieutenant Casey." She says jokingly. I can see us doing this forever.

_She's just so amazing._


End file.
